Paedophile sentence appeal rejected

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has ruled that the sentence handed to a paedophile who abducted a three-year-old girl should not be referred to the Court of Appeal.

A row erupted over the sentence given to 24-year-old Craig Sweeney who kidnapped the child and sexually abused her earlier this year.

Sweeney was sentenced to life, but will be eligible to apply for parole in under six years.

The family of the child said that the sentence was "an insult".

Home Secretary John Reid wrote to the Attorney General, requesting him to consider referring the sentence to the Court of Appeal because it was "unduly lenient".

However, Lord Goldsmith ruled that Sweeney's sentence was not unduly lenient because the judge had followed guidelines and legislation before calculating the minimum term.

The child's mother said that she was "gut-wrenchingly sick" at the Attorney General's decision.

A Home Office spokesperson said that Mr Reid had made his views clear and stood by them. He said: "He is committed to protecting the public from violent and sexual offenders and remains concerned about sentencing arrangements.

"That is a concern which is shared by his colleagues, including the Attorney General, and they intend to make the necessary changes by reviewing the system."

Sweeney abducted the child from her home in Rumney, Cardiff on January 2. He took her to his flat in Newport and subjected her to a sexual assault.

The child was eventually discovered in Sweeney's car after he was chased by Wiltshire police when he was spotted driving erratically at speeds of up to 100mph with no lights on and jumping red lights.

(KMcA/SP)